The Dragon Wielder's Denpa
by Alder-Elma
Summary: Hiei and Hana Fruits Basket are going to have to work together in order to save those that are most important to them. Is it even possible? Hiei never was good at saying please. Whose cold exterior will melt first? Please read and review.
1. Default Chapter

a/n – Sadly, I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or Fruits Basket.

The Dragon Wielder's Denpa

Her black cloak swirled around her as she aimlessly strolled down the isolated forest path. Above her a little bird flitted here and there chirping to her friends. A dim smile graced the pale girl's lips. 'So enthusiastic and chipper.... just like Tohru.'

Rapidly struck by an atypical electrical signal she paused and swung her head around. Those waves didn't come from that little bird; they were too fiery and prideful. She wondered at the chilled feeling that ran through her the moment the waves passed out of her perception. It was like she had been standing in front of a blazing bonfire on a cold night. She could feel the heat soaking into her very being, so hot that she knew she was too close, knew she should pull away, yet it was the kind of addicting warmth that she wanted to cling to. And then it was gone and she felt cold.

Strange, normally she preferred the cold. It always felt so refreshing against her warm skin. It just suited her. It possessed a certain hard, emotionless quality the same quality that she often disguised herself in. But the cold she felt now reflected a part of her that she hoped others did not notice, a part of her that she thought was dead.

_Loneliness_.

She could still feel the endless nervous stares that her peers gave her after the 'incident', after they found out about her 'talents'. She had tried to pretend like they didn't affect her, like she enjoyed solitude. That's when she started wearing black and only black. To show them she didn't care if they stared at her.

She was lonely though, and it ate at her. That's when her very worried parents transferred her to another school thinking a fresh start would be good for her. There was no hiding who she really was though, she was a scary girl, and she knew it. She could see it in people's eyes - the fear of a demon who'd taken the form of a girl.

That's when she met Tohru Honda and found unconditional acceptance. Over the next few years she and Tohru and Uo became the closest of friends, and she learned to accept herself. She even liked being herself. She got a certain sadistic thrill from confusing the heck out of the Sohma boys, beating some sucker at rich man poor man (psychic abilities do come handy when your playing cards) and of course her personal favorite, scaring the crap out of those territorial fan club girls.

It was good to be Hana. So where did that lonely feeling come from all of a sudden? Odd, it made her curious; she would definitely have to investigate further. But right now she was late for an engagement at Tohru's; if she didn't hurry she might miss the snacks.

Meanwhile up in a tree a short distance away lurked a wee little man. Whoops, I mean.... Meanwhile perched on a lofty branch only a short distance away, a compact but powerful looking young demon considered the girl as she faded out of view. 'Well she certainly is dark.' He thought back to this morning's meeting with the spirit detective's team.

"Why do I have to do it? Surely one of the others is better suited for this sort of mission." Hiei looked sternly at the toddler from whom he and the rest of the team took their orders. '...as if this job could get anymore humiliating.'

"Hiei I realize your social skills are seriously lacking but..." Koenma was interrupted by Yusuke, "That's the understatement of the year!" Kuwabara snickered, and Kurama piped in. "Come on now boys. It's not Hiei's fault that he comes off as an arrogant, cold hearted bastard. He just lacks experience."

"This is _exactly_ why you should send someone else." Hiei pointed out in an eerily calm tone.

"As I was saying, you're the only option we have right now if Yusuke and Kuwabara miss any more school they'll be expelled, which would reflect poorly on me! As for Kurama, he has personal problems to attend to that might put the subject in danger." Yusuke and Kuwabara were snickering twice as loudly now as Kurama began to blush rose red. Hiei smirked, 'so fox boy is in heat.' He made a mental note to make fun of him later, but right now he had to find a way out of this.

"What about that blue-haired bimbo? The ningen seem to like her." Yusuke grinned. "Yeah until they find out she's the grim reaper, then they can't get away fast enough! Hey Kuwabara, we're humans, why do we hang out with her?" Yusuke never could keep his mouth shut.

From the corner of his eyes, Kuwabara stole a glance at the blue haired ferry girl. "Hey your right, she is kind of _creeeeeepy_ when you think about it!" CRACKBOOMCRASH! Botan pulled out her oar and pummeled them both. "OOo, where does she hide that thing anyway?"

As Hiei smirked as he thought of possible hiding places, Koenma answered the question. No not that one! "This is a very busy time of year in the spirit world; I'll need Boton's services here."

"Well I'm obviously not going to get out of this one," Hiei grudgingly admitted, "So get on with it."

"I'm glad you understand. Now as you know our new enemy is more powerful than anything we've ever faced. Not only is he an unimaginably strong fighter, he is also a deadly psychic. We'll be forced to battle him both physically and mentally at once. When the time comes Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama, will fight him the old fashioned way. It will be a difficult battle, but I think we stand at least some chance of holding our own."

"How reassuring, we _might _come back alive from this one." Kurama chimed in.

"Now I didn't say that!! Don't put words into my mouth! As I was saying, you three will take him in physical combat while Hiei and Miss Hanajima Saki attack him mentally. This will be impossible for Hiei's jagan eye alone, he will need backup. That's why it is essential to convince Hanajima to help us."

"As you can tell from looking at Kuwabara's family, heightened spiritual awareness in humans is a genetic trait, and the Hanajima clan of Japan is one of the most aware in the world. Their family is very old and they know much about the spirit world. Even in this day and age when most humans have forgotten that there are worlds besides their own, they teach their children about the supernatural. Believe it or not, they are a force to be reckoned with. Hiei don't screw it up."

"You don't have enough faith in me. All I have to do is grab this psychic and lug her back. It's simple enough. Where do I find her and what does she look like?"

Kurama scratched the back of his head. "Um, Hiei? I don't think 'grab' and 'lug' are the appropriate verbs here."

"He's right." Koenma hopped down from the chair he'd been standing on. "We need an ally, not a prisoner. Remember, if she doesn't come willingly it won't work, so you must convince her and the sooner the better."

"Fine." A reddish glow radiated from under Hiei's headband. "I'll convince her quickly." And with that he was gone.

"There he goes flashing that third eye of his again, you don't think he's gonna try and use it on her do you? What kind of jerk would want to control the mind of an innocent girl?" Eight eyes incredulously bored into Kuwabara's skull. "Oh yeah, forgot."

-

'This is the place.' Hiei studied the denpa as she leisurely walked down shaded path. 'Hn, lots of black clothes, lots of black hair, and deep gray eyes. That's her. She seems young. There's no way a girl like her could have any battle experience. She's probably like Keiko, all sugar and teddy bears, unless she's angry. Can that pale, wispy little thing really be of any use to us? We'll see.' He removed the white band of cloth from his forehead revealing a blue eye as it opened wide. As he prepared himself, he thought back to the last time he'd tried to enter and take control of a human mind.

It seemed like a lifetime ago. That was before he met those bleeding hearts that he now called allies. He had enslaved thousands of weak human minds, turning them into zombie-like slaves to be used for his destructive purposes. 'I enjoyed that.' He thought. Then that moronic thug of a spirit detective butted in and turned Kurama against him. It's not like he cared, back then he never really trusted the spirit fox anyway, only respected his strength and cunning. Strength had always been about the only thing he respected. But respect in his red-headed teammate or not, the spirit detective was a threat to be dealt with. Humans are weak when their pathetic hearts are on the line. So he kidnapped the person the detective cared about most. Keiko.

It was Keiko's mind that he last tried to enslave. He still didn't really understand how Yusuke could turn a weakness like devotion into such amazing strength, but he did. And he didn't understand why he now called that one time enemy "friend", when nobody was around to hear it, but he did. His goal had been to annihilate mankind, and now here he was helping to save it. Most self-respecting demons would be ashamed of what he had become, but then again, most self-respecting demons could kiss his ass.

The humans think he's too ruthless and the demons think he's too soft, until they're all swallowed whole by his dragon. He didn't really care either way what others thought about him, as long as they stayed out of his way. If that meant that he got to spend more time alone, it was fine by him. He was used to being alone.

He snapped back to his objective as a pair of house sparrows flitted past him down towards the girl. His jagan illuminated as the hair around his face flew back away from his eyes. He paused though, as he watched her consider the playful birds. It wasn't obvious but he could see the shadow of a small smile trickle over her features. He was reminded of his sister Yukina, she loved gentle birds. 'I wonder what she would say if she knew that her brother was a demon who enslaved the minds of innocent .......Wait a minute.' Hiei instantly moved three or four branches higher and examined the girl. Wavy black hair fluttered in the breeze as she swung her head around in the direction of his perch. 'So, she does have a bit of skill.' Hiei thought to himself as he tied the bandana back around his head.

As a shiver ran over her body, she seemed to ponder for a few moments, and then took off with a renewed sense of purpose.

A short while later Hana neared the end of her passage. Shigure's house where Tohru lived was up the path, just around the next bend. Hana paused here and spoke sternly to the open forest. "If you're so interested in me then show yourself, otherwise leave. Tohru has enough weirdoes hanging around without adding a stalker to the list."

The little bird that had been playing nearby idly thought to itself how strange the girl seemed as she scolded the wind in the trees, but Hana knew that the breeze wasn't the only thing blowing through the branches. She sense could that someone was following her. She could feel the electrical waves as they maintained a constant distance from her even as she moved. It may have slipped past the innocent little sparrow, but for Hana to not notice that bonfire of signal would be like missing a mac truck speed by her close enough to spray mud all over her favorite black veil. She couldn't miss it.

"I'm no stalker." Hana gasped as a figure landed lightly in front of her. She was secretly hoping that he wouldn't leave, something about the way he felt just ....excited her. And as she stared at him she see could see that something about the way he looked excited her as well. He was about her height, if you counted the hair, and looked to be about her age, 17 or so. Only he felt much older, as if he had experienced many things in his life, and that experience had been converted into wisdom and maturity. His right hand was bandaged with what she could tell was some sort of seal, which she thought ran up his whole arm. She couldn't tell for sure though because of his long sleeved cloak. That cloak. It appealed to her. Maybe it was the color, her favorite, or maybe it was the way it hung on his body showing off his trim muscular build.

Her gaze trailed up his body to meet his eyes. They were intense red brown orbs that seemed to flicker with hidden emotion. If there were emotions in there though, nothing else about him hinted to what they could be. "I know it's difficult to resist, but if you're finished ogling me now, we can get on with this." His voice grated out with barely concealed spite.

'So much for maturity' she thought. 'He doesn't even know me and he's already trying to embarrass me.' If he thought she was going to divert her eyes and blush, like Tohru might, or go ballistic and smack him like Uo would, then he hadn't been stalking her for long. She wasn't a normal girl and she refused to play his game. Hana's face contorted into a look of mock horror as she dramatically fell to her knees. "What has the world come to when a sweet innocent little girl can't even 'ogle' her attacker?" Her voice oozed with self pity. Then just as quickly as she had turned it on she turned it off, rising again to look at him blankly.

'Hmm, this might be more fun than I thought' Hiei mentally smirked, though his outer countenance revealed nothing of the sort. They remained like that for a long moment, both expressionlessly staring at the other.

The wheels in Hana's mind began to turn as she considered the enigma posted with his arms crossed before her. 'He's not normal. The waves I get from him don't feel human, but their not like that of an animal either.'

Hana dug back through her brain to her childhood studies. She knew she'd learned about this as part of her mother's curriculum. 'Hmm, some sort of demon from the Makai, I think, but which kind? There were so many.' Studying had never been Hana's forte. 'Wait a minute finding a Demon on earth is rare. They've put up barriers to keep them out. Only the strongest can get here.'

Hana suddenly felt nervous as Hiei's eyes bored into her. One thing she learned a long time ago was to trust her instincts, and her gut was telling her to get out of there. She couldn't just run away though.

'So, she's finally starting to put it together that I'm not what she considers normal. Took her long enough, I thought she was supposed to be some sort of spiritual whiz kid. I wonder what she'll do now.'

Hana broke the silence first. Her cool voice was like obsidian, smooth and dark with a slight edge, but her words betrayed her inner state. "Stand there if you like, but I'm leaving. It would be a sin to miss out on Tohru's rice balls." With that she walked by him mustering all of her control to keep from sprinting the rest of the way.

"Fine then we'll just have to talk later. We are, after all, going to be spending a lot of time together." Hiei couldn't help but feel a little satisfaction as saw her step falter just a bit as she walked away. Still, he was mildly surprised that she didn't turn and run the moment she realized that he wasn't human.

'I can't believe that I almost fell back there. At least he didn't see the look on my face.' Willing the butterflies in her stomach to settle down, Hana took a deep breath and focused on her situation. She could tell that he was still up in the trees following her, but honestly didn't know what to do about it. She focused on his electrical waves for a moment, and now that her mind was clear it was obvious to her that those burning signals could only belong to a fire demon. She combed through her meager knowledge of the beings. 'I think they were generally short tempered or impatient, and quick thinkers and movers.' Both seemed to apply to the creature who was watching her from the trees. 'So why do I feel like he can see right through me?'

As Hana continued down the path, questions about this demon plagued her mind. 'He's here for me? He said we'd be spending a lot of time together. What did he mean by that, and why do I get butterflies in my stomach when I think about it? And where did he buy that cloak?!!'

'Okay Saki, calm down. What's with the randomness all of a sudden?' Hana was a bit concerned over her reaction to this fiery spirit. Nothing ever broke Hana's cool, at least not since the end of elementary school when she learned to suppress her psychic abilities. This was not good. The last time Hana lost control, someone ended up in the hospital. She had to calm down, but without answers it just wouldn't happen.

Slowing her pace, Hana walked with her head bowed, her dark tresses shading her eyes. As the static cracked around her she came to a decision. A single lock of hair which was much shorter than the rest stood straight up on the top of her head. It resembled an antenna and seemed to blink with energy.

For a moment, all sound and light phased with that blinking energy and culminated in a single bolt aimed at the trees to the right of her.

Hiei threw is guard up an instant to late as he was sent crashing to the ground. Standing up with a little effort he narrowed his gaze on the girl still walking in her carefully measured pace.

In a flash he was in front of her again, fists clenched as he reigned in his temper. "That tickled. If I didn't know better I'd say you were trying to attack me."

"No, I held back. I was only trying to get your attention. An attack would have done much more that bring you down out of that tree."

A low chuckle emanated from him as he gave her a dark smirk. "You talk awfully big for a little human who won't even look me in the eye."

Hana slowly raised her head, a slight blush peppering her cheeks. "I want to talk, I have questions."

"So ask, and depending on the relevancy and my patience, I might give you answers."

Lifting her gaze to meet his she queried, "Who are you?"

"My name is Hiei." He started to walk in a leisurely manner nodding his head for her to follow. "I'm a member of spirit world's spirit detective team. Do know what that is?" He glanced at her as she nodded her head.

"Mmm Hmm. It's the team stationed to earth by Koenma to police demon activity"

"Good, this will be easier if I don't have to explain every little detail."

"I don't understand though, aren't you a demon?"

"Demons aren't all evil tyrannical monsters bent on destruction. A few of us are above that, though I won't claim to be one of the more noble ones. I had my reasons for being to earth."

"What kind of reasons?" Most of her apprehension had been replaced with curiosity, but she still regarded him with caution.

"The private kind." He stated looking straight ahead.

'I guess we all have things we'd like to hide.' Hana thought to herself, as she focused on the same little sparrow hopping around on the ground. There was silence for a bit before she voiced her next question. "Why are you here?"

"To collect you." It was a simple answer.

Startled, Hana jerked her head up to meet his gaze. "..But why?" This conversation wasn't making her any less confused.

"You're the one with psychic abilities right? You tell me."

Her brow furrowed as she tried to sort out where this was headed. "I can't read minds, if that's what you're implying."

Now it was Hiei's turn to be confused. "You can't or you won't? Is this some sort of honor code thing?"

"I don't have that ability."

"But you do have abilities, don't you, and more than just that zappy trick you pulled on me earlier." He held his step turning to face her.

Hana hesitated. She had never hidden the fact that she was different, but neither was it her practice to openly discuss herself with complete strangers who just happen to be demons with something to hide. Sent by Koenma or not, she wasn't ready to show her trump card just yet.

"Why are you so interested?"

Crimson eyes boring into hers, the demon took another step toward her. It was a ploy he'd often used to intimidate less experienced fighters, but this time he added a finisher. Taking his hands from his pockets, he lightly ran his index finger along her jawbone up the side of her face.

"I was asking you nicely because we're going to be working together, but I could just spare myself the headache and simply read your mind." That being said, a dull glow emanated from behind his headband just for emphasis. "And you know I'm not bluffing, you can sense it."

She only vaguely registered that his touch was warmer than average, like that of someone who has a high fever. What she did notice was how close the demon was to her now. This was definitely an invasion of her personal space, but she didn't back away. She wouldn't back down. Not even if her body had been responding properly, which it wasn't.

Her knees were shaking, though an onlooker wouldn't be able to notice through all her layers of clothing, and she was praying that he couldn't hear her heart pounding in the tops of her ears. By sheer force of will alone she held her composure. A short quick gasp was the first thing out of her mouth and it was the only hint she gave that he was affecting her in anyway.

"I haven't agreed to work with you yet." Her eyes were steady as she smoothly swatted his hand away from her face. "You haven't even told me what this 'job' for me is."

He answered with a small hint of disgust in his voice. "Prevent suffering, save lives. What else? Save the world. It's what spirit detectives do." His eyes narrowed and she could tell that recent memories were invading his consciousness. "Well, that and brawl that is." That last remark left a smirk on his face and Hana wondered if maybe despite himself he really didn't mind being part of the team.

"It's the same this time, only the enemy is significantly more talented than the usual thugs and psychopaths we face. He's an S-class demon who hates humans, apparitions, spirits and every other being in the three realms. He's a consumer named Uzgoth."

Upon hearing that last sentence, Hana's face paled considerably, contrasting starkly with her turbulent dark eyes. "Con..sum...er" The word caught in her throat as if her subconscious was trying to forbid her from speaking it out loud.

"So you've heard of them."

She tipped her head down slightly in an affirmative. Consumers, yeah she'd heard of them alright. They were the stuff of nightmares. Monsters that were fodder for horror stories around the camp fire at the family reunion. Evil entities that literally consumed other beings absorbing not just their bodies and physical powers, but also their souls along with any spiritual abilities the victim may possess. She'd always sort of thought that her elders made that one up. She hoped that it was a tactic to scare kids into studying the family business diligently. Wishful thinking.

"A consumer? It's not possible. I thought....I mean weren't they all locked away in King Enma's dungeon?"

"Yes," Hiei spoke matter of factly, "they were locked behind miles of walls lined with a makai barrier among other nasty things. They were such detestable creatures that once the Spiritual Defense Force finally got them on the ropes Enma hastily threw them all in and then destroyed the only key."

He shoved his hands back into his pockets. "Typical of those cocky SDF bastards they shoved 'em all in together and promptly forgot about them. No guards, no surveillance, no rations nothing."

The wheels in Hana's brain began to turn. "That must have been a thousand years ago. Without rations, how is it possible for any to be left alive?"

"Well, maybe 'no rations' wasn't exactly accurate when you consider what they eat, which is anything or _anyone_ I should say. So it is possible for there to be survivors, well at least one at any rate. What's worse is the one left would be substantially stronger than when he went in. It would be the united power of the entire race."

Suddenly snacks didn't sound so appealing anymore as she could feel her lunch rising in her throat. Hana had never had a weak stomach and could handle a lot of things, from curses, to gang fights with lead pipes, to Yuki's horrible cooking, but there was just something about cannibalism that triggered her upchuck reflex. With a swallow she asked the only question on her mind, "Do you honestly believe that I can be of any use to you against something like that?"

Hiei took a long moment, deliberately sizing her up. 'Inexperienced, no overtly obvious physical prowess,' he mentally ticked off what he saw. Her face was covered in sweat 'weak stomach,' he added to the list. "Honestly, from what I can see, the answer is _no. _ I wouldn't think you could make a dent in that kind of power."

It was exactly what she thought he would say. Hana wasn't sure whether she should feel relieved or disappointed, so she felt both. Her breathing became less labored as she took solace in the knowledge that she wouldn't be letting anybody down. No one expected her to be a "save the day superhero." At the same time though, she was dissatisfied with the idea that he hadn't even given her a chance to prove herself before deciding that she was weak.

He watched the female before him as the emotions played through her eyes. First she dropped her gaze to the ground, then lifting it up to the horizon without making eye contact, she spoke. "It was nice to meet you, Hiei." Now, summoning the courage to look the demon in the eyes she allowed a brief smile and walked away.


	2. Sour Medicine

Last Time on Dragon Wielders Denpa (since it was so very long ago)

"_Honestly, from what I can see, the answer is no. I wouldn't think you could make a dent in that kind of power." It was exactly what she thought he would say. Hana wasn't sure whether she should feel relieved or disappointed, so she felt both…. _

…"_It was nice to meet you, Hiei." Now, summoning the courage to look the demon in the eyes she allowed a brief smile and walked away_.

Sour Medicine

Hiei narrowed his eyes as he watched the raven haired girl walk away. Leaning back on his heels he threw his head back and clamped his eyes shut. 'Why am I doing this again?' He questioned to himself, as he returned his focus back toward the stubborn human who had turned her back on him.

He raised his voice, though he did not yell. "It's true, you don't look like much, but then again, I've been called a 'shrimp' before too. Though, few have lived to voice that opinion twice. There are those who, after seeing me, wouldn't believe that I possess the power to destroy mountains and armies alike."

She stopped, but did not turn.

Hiei shook his head, hoping nobody was within earshot. 'This is ridiculous.' He couldn't believe he was about to say this. "I heard once that 'kick ass things come in short packages too.' I suppose that you could replace 'short' with 'girly' and 'inexperienced' if you like."

She turned to face the koorime silently questioning him with her stormy eyes.

"Though in your case, I suspect some training will be in order."

She began walking again, and could sense more than hear the near soundless rustle as he moved to join her.

"Hn. Whatever my opinion might be, the fact of the matter is that Koenma honestly believes that your allegiance _will_ make a difference."

As they drew near to the front door of Shigure's house, the sounds of an argument met them.

"Please, Kyo. I'm really worried about Hana. Shigure told me that weird stalkers sometimes lurk in those woods. What if she was attacked?"

"If there are weirdoes out there, I don't think Hanajima's the one who needs to be worried."

"Now that's just rude carrot top! If you know what's good for you, you'll get your ass out there and find her."

"Make that damn rat go get her, cause I don't wanna."

"Leave me out of this, you stupid cat."

"Guys calm down, my poor little house can't take much more of…CRASH…. this."

Hana didn't flinch as Kyo flopped toward them amongst the shredded scraps of Shigure's door, nearly landing on Hiei.

Stepping over Kyo, who was muttering something surly about Yankees, Hana smiled at her near hysterical friend. "Sorry I'm late. You haven't eaten yet have you?"

"Oh! Hana, I'm so glad you made it, I mean with all the weirdoes out and everything, I was getting worried. Kyo was just about to go look for you when…well I think he was anyway, but I guess that doesn't matter now, right? Because you're here now, and you're alright, so there must not have been any stalkers after all. Silly. Silly." Tohru knocked on her forehead with her knuckle to emphasize her overreaction.

Having only now just noticed the cloaked boy standing behind and slightly to the side of Hana, Tohru was pleasantly surprised. "Oh! You brought a friend with you," her faced paled a bit, "and he's covered in chunks of house. Sorry, I guess that was my fault in a way."

She moved toward him tentatively reaching out a hand to pick a particularly large splinter of wood off of the stranger's shoulder, but with a grunt, Hiei side stepped before she could reach her target.

The sweet brunette withdrew her hand and clasped it in the other one behind her back. "I guess I should introduce myself first, right?" She said humbly bowing her head. "My name is Tohru Honda. It's really very nice to meet you. I'm a friend of Hana's." She lifted her head. "And this is Uo, and Yuki, and the one that ran off, well that was Kyo. Let's see Shigure's around here some…"

"He's not my friend, he followed me here." Hana calmly interrupted before Tohru could get carried away and invite him in for snacks. '_My_ snacks,' she thought.

"He followed you?" Tohru's body went rigid as she backed a few steps away. "Stalk…er"

"Hana, why didn't you tell us you had a boyfriend?" Uo interrupted jovially, throwing an arm over Hana's shoulder, delighting in the pale blush brought on by her teasing.

Hana felt a tinge of embarrassment at the thought of having a boyfriend. The idea had always been a bit foreign to her, since she was generally avoided by her peers.

"And he's cute too," Uo continued, "for a shrimp anyway."

At that last 'shrimp' remark, Hana forgot her embarrassment. She closed her eyes in a struggle to stifle the giggle that was threatening to corrupt her trademark poker face. The annoyed vibes she was picking up from Hiei only made it funnier.

Taking a deep breath, she dared a glance in the demon's direction. The knowing glare he sent back was nearly the end to the small shred of control that she had been clinging to.

She cracked a small grin as soon as he looked away. Tohru was the source of his distraction. She was now very near to him bowing low, rapid firing a seemingly endless string of apologies for mistaking him for a stalker.

With one eyebrow raised, Hiei returned his attention to Hana who was once again poker faced. "Are they always this way?"

Hana took a moment to consider her friends. Sweet, kind hearted Tohru always put others before herself, and loyal, extroverted Uo always had her friends' back. And for the first time all day, maybe even all week, Hanajima Saki smiled genuinely. She loved her friends. "Yes, they _are_ always this way."

"I see." Hiei now spoke with carefully measured words. He had to make her understand why it was so important that she chose to go with him. Sometimes, the worst tasting medicine is what's best for you, and so full of purpose, he let loose. "And will they still be this way when Uzgoth demolishes these pathetic barriers you humans call a home? Will they be the same when their bones are broken and their bodies torn? Will they be the same when last demon consumer drags them away kicking and screaming into oblivion?"

His ruby colored eyes were as grave as his voice as he posed his final argument. "Will _you_ be the same knowing that you allowed that to happen, though you might have been able to prevent it?"

Hiei's face remained cool and uncaring, though he inwardly hated himself for causing such a unique smile to vanish. He visibly swallowed as he stared at her unrelentingly, waiting for an answer.

How long had that deafening moment lasted? He wasn't sure. If felt like it had been an eternity since he had narrowed his focus in, onto the little denpa in front of him. He barely even registered the steady string of curses being flung at him by her tall blonde friend or the pleas from the pretty boys holding her back that she put down her pipe. Neither did he notice Tohru's desperate petitions for patience on all parts.

And then, with a single tear, the moment came crashing down on them all, shattered like a glass full of foul tasting medicine as it hits the floor.

The air was tense, as if nature itself were holding it's breathe. Yuki and Shigure stopped shouting, Uo stopped cursing, and Tohru stopped pleading, all to watch that lone tear splash into the earth.

Tohru was instantly at Hana's side, holding her hand. In their stupor Yuki and Shigure let Uo squirm free. She was flying towards Hiei, weapon in hand, when she suddenly stopped. Hana had thrown her free arm out, palm back, in a silent message to her friend.

The three of them stood there. Tohru watching Hana with worry in her eyes, Hana looking slightly towards the ground allowing her bangs to shroud her unreadable eyes, and Uo glaring at Hiei enough for all of them.

If he noticed though, he didn't care. For, as he spoke, his low voice did not waver and his words did not reveal any sign of remorse.

"I'll find you in the morning. I expect an answer."

An instant later, he was gone, and Hana collapsed to her knees.

a/n- What should Hana do? Please review. I'm still not sure if there is really even an audience out there for this couple. Thanks for reading.


	3. Wallflower

a/n – Megumi, megumi, megumi! I love him, its fun to imagine what he'd be like a few years down the road. Naturally, he's bit protective of his big sister. I think he understands her a bit better then the rest of the world. Anyways, that's enough rambling for today. On with the story.

Special thanks to Shadow In Darkness and cheerful-pinkstar for the encouragement.

Last Time - _"I'll find you in the morning. I expect an answer."_

_An instant later, he was gone, and Hana collapsed to her knees._

**Wallflower**

The next day, Hana woke before the sun, not that she had really slept much anyway. As she stretched her lithe body under the thick comforter, she found several stiff spots in her neck and back that she knew were going to bother her for the rest of the day.

She hadn't felt like this in years, not since before she met Tohru. It had been four years, to be exact, since her last nightmare. There was a time when her thoughts were so plagued that she could barely sleep.

Her dreams had always been a direct reflection of her self doubt. At her old school, she was treated like a time bomb. She was barely spoken to and avoided if at all possible. Not that she blamed her peers for their wariness, what with all the rumors going around about her. Hell, she even believed some of them.

One rumor, at least, she knew was true. As a child in the first or second grade, before she learned to control her electric waves, she attacked a classmate in fit of rage. It was so bad that they had to hospitalize him.

That was the beginning of the ostracization. It didn't matter that the victim had been beating up her little brother, Megumi. _She_ was still the bad guy. That was the first turning point in Hanajima Saki's life, when she decided that the only person she could depend on was herself. The approval of others didn't matter. She didn't need friends, and so putting on a brave face, and a black cloak, she became more and more isolated.

That's when the nightmares started. Inside she wondered if maybe she was a monster, and so in her dreams she became one. She took many different forms, but there was one that was far more common than the rest. She became a timid flower, soft and beautiful, but far from normal. She had large petals, as black as the night, and when threatened sharp rows of teeth tore limbs from her enemies.

This is what disturbed her and stole her sleep away, the idea that there were two sides to her personality, calm, reserved and distant, yet powerfully confrontational when put to a pinch. Polar opposites. She was who she was, though. No one can change who they are. The only thing you can change is how you see yourself.

Or so she learned five years later when she met the ever plucky Tohru Honda. That was the second turning point in Hanajima Saki's life, the day she realized that nobody could get by in life alone. Even monsters need friends. By saying "I like you", Tohru allowed her to like herself, and she finally got some decent sleep.

Hana thought she was finished with sleepless nights. Then that crimson eyed stranger had to go and remind her that she was different. Not that she had ever really forgotten. She just didn't mind so much anymore.

Hana sat up from her bed. Her loose flannel pajamas bunched up around her knees and then fell back down to her ankles as her toes found the hard wood floor. She rested there for a moment with her head in her hands and her elbows on her knees, tilting her head from one side to the other, testing the status of her neck.

"Ooo," she moaned. Yep, still sore. Motion from her night stand vaguely caught her attention. Turning her head she peered out through splayed fingers. It was her wallflower doing it's goofy little sound prompted boogie. She'd kept that knick knack proudly displayed in her otherwise bare room for years now.

What had Tohru said the day she brought her gift to school?

"It symbolizes you the way you are now, see? It's a beautiful black flower, just like in your dreams, only it has big sunglasses and a smile instead of carnivorous teeth."

Raising an eyebrow, Hana gave her a somewhat confused if not entirely disbelieving look as she flipped on the 'on' switch. "Tohru…" Hana trailed off, slightly startled when the ridiculous little thing started dancing.

"You see, you used to worry that you might accidentally hurt someone. You had nightmares because you believed yourself to be dangerous, all full of sharp teeth and stuff. It's not like that now. Now you're in control." Tohru shoved the small novelty item into her friend's hands and, with a warm smile, she continued her explanation. "No more teeth. Plus, it thinks it funny to startle people, just like you."

Hana flopped backwards onto her bed again, her polished black tiptoes just barely reaching the floor. As she thought about it now, that conversation with Tohru made a lot more sense.

She knew now that she wasn't a monster anymore. More accurately, she knew that she never had been one. Thanks to Tohru, she saw herself differently now. What was once a liability was now an asset. Hana actually relished in the idea that she could zap anybody she pleased, and nothing pleased her more than zapping those who threatened her loved ones.

Then why had this been such a difficult decision? A horrible demon was threatening every single person who was important to her. On top of that, Koenma himself had personally invited her help fry the bastard. Yet she was hesitating. Doubt was once again plaguing her mind and robbing her sleep. Only this time instead of fretting that her God given abilities were too much, now she worried that they wouldn't be enough.

She knew that she had to at least try though. If she didn't she'd regret it, for lots of reasons, not the least of which being an unexplainable desire to prove herself to a certain arrogant fire demon. So with a determined sigh, Hana crawled out of bed, and trekked down stairs in search of breakfast.

Her brother was already sitting on a stool at the counter, eating his puffy o's.

"You're up early today." She was digging through the fridge as she addressed him.

"I wasn't going to let you up and leave without saying goodbye." His charcoal eyes looked intently at her back waiting for a reply.

A pang of guilt stabbed at her insides. She hadn't mentioned any of this to her family yet. She didn't really know what to say. She should have known though, her mother was a fortune teller after all, well to pay the bills anyway.

She walked over to park herself in the stool next to his. "You know I wouldn't have left without telling you. I just hadn't really decided to go until just a few minutes ago."

"I could have told you you were going. Should have asked mom."

"She wouldn't have told me anything, you know that."

Her fork morosely poked at her food. "Megumi, did Mom say anything about me ever coming back again?"

"No." The dark haired boy, now finished with his breakfast rose from his seat. He now stood behind his older sister, wrapping both arms around her shoulders and resting his chin on top of her head. "She didn't have to. I know you'll be back."

That was all she needed. Her brother's support eased her apprehensions. Losing the sad tone in her voice, she looked up at him.

"When did you get so tall?"

"It's a conspiracy sis, someday I'll be the one protecting you." He released her and went to set his bowl in the sink.

She set her plate on the floor allowing the dog to have her untouched breakfast. "Yes, well I do suppose it will be your turn. If you think you can handle it." She gave him a tired smirk and reached up to pat him on the head, before turning for the stairs. It was time for a shower.

A few minutes after Hana had retreated to the bath, Hiei was at the front door, but before he could knock he watched it slowly swing open. A tall and slightly muscular boy of about fourteen stood on the other side. His countenance had a familiar feel to it, especially with the poker face he was wearing, and Hiei hypothesized that this person must be some close relation to the girl that he had been up thinking about all night.

As the boy looked at him, Hiei got the sinking sensation that he was being sized up, judged in a way. Not that it really bothered him.

"You're here for my sister." It was more of a statement than a question and Hiei briefly felt more like a motorcycle riding punk here to pick up his prom date from a conservative overprotective father, than a demon on a mission to save the world.

Hiei looked confidently at his inquisitor. "Is she prepared?" He smirked and coolly smoothed his fingers through his wild hair, not bothering to hide his amusement.

As if he had been sent some sort of subliminal message, Megumi too ran his fingers through his hair. Feeling it standing in every which way as if he had just been hit by lightning, he instantly widened his eyes in surprise and his pale face became light pink in color as he thought back to his sister patting his head. She was always like that. You'd never know from looking at her that she was such a prankster. Her looks were deceptive in a lot of ways though, hiding many strengths and hidden personality quirks as well. All of which were surprising if nothing else.

He smiled as he stepped to the side, clearing a path for the fire demon in front of him. "I think the real question is 'are _you_ prepared?'"

"Always," Hiei remarked without batting an eyelash as he strode inside.

Megumi led the way into the living area where he had been playing video games. "You may as well sit down; she takes forever in the shower." He offered, planting himself on the couch.

He wasn't one to let his guard down in strange places, and today was no exception. "I'll stand thanks." Hiei replied choosing to stroll around the room instead of sit. His gaze traveled around the room, and he was surprised to see that it looked almost normal. Aside from the vast quantity of books, it seemed just like any other human dwelling.

"I don't think I caught your name," the boy on the couch queried.

"It's Hiei, curse it and I'll kill you." He said with a glare, as he watched the boy suddenly become very interested in his video game.

The sun was beginning to rise, and pale shafts of light streamed through the windows. There really were a lot of books here. He casually ran his finger down one row of bindings, silently reading the titles as he went. _Curse Seals for Kid; Portals: Secret Doors to the Netherworlds, and How to Find Them; Spirit World Etiquette; Japanese Folklore; Advanced Curse Seal Techniques_ that one had a bookmark in it ; _Seeds of Death-Flora and Fauna of the Makai, _and many more of the like. The list went on and on. Much of it was reference material, but there were also many other things, novels, poetry etc.

Not sure if the moving shafts of light were playing tricks on his eyes, Hiei leaned forward just a bit to study one that caught his eye. It was a slender volume bound in dark red leather and looked very old. On it in gilded letters was a text that he had not seem in centuries, and last he heard it spoken, it was not from the delicate lips of a human.

He gently slid the relic from its place on the shelf and ghosted his hand over the front cover, murmuring the title to himself.

"It says," the soft and steady voice behind him read along out loud. "'Ashact Ulle Snaga Fint.' It was a hard language suiting of the barbaric tribe that once spoke it, and the words sounded particularly harsh and starkly out of place when uttered from the mouth of a human girl. He turned to face her as she explained the meaning to him.

"It means, 'Life is a miserable end.'"

"That's a loose translation. Very loose." He tried his best not to look smug, though a trace slipped through. "Have even you read this book?"

"Mmm hmm," she nodded her head, her face troubled slightly by the memory. "Some of it. It's an epic poem right, considered a classic in the demon world? I couldn't finish though, it was too gruesome. Is war and death all that demons think about?"

He moved beside her, pointing to the symbols on the cover. "This symbol means 'Love' not 'Life.' They come from the same root word but the tails are different." His finger slid to the end of the phrase. "And this mark here applies to the last two words, it symbolizes reflexivity. It means that the title can be read two different ways. Either_ 'Love is a Miserable End'_ or _'Love is an End to Misery,'_ it's for the reader to decide which title is more appropriate.

"It's the graphic tale of a Demon who must choose whether or not to sacrifice his mate in order to deliver his tribe from the grips of a devastating war. Either he's miserable for the rest of his life, or his war torn people are."

"It's said to be based on a true story." He pulled the book back from her. "War influences humans and demons alike, but this was a particularly affected people."

"You speak as if you know them."

"There aren't any left to know." He stated matter of factly, sliding the book back into its place.

Pushing himself back to the matter at hand he took an assessing glace at the girl next to him. Her wet long hair was gathered into a tightly bound braid, and her lavender flannels with the black hearts looked just a bit too big for her. "Nice PJs."

There was an awkward silence as both debated on what to say next.

Losing his patience Hiei gave up and went straight to the point. "Have you decided?"

She walked over to the shelf pulling out another book and tossed it to her house guest. '_Annuals of the Clan Hanajima.'_ "That's the story of my people." Her eyes took on a distant look as she recounted the origins of her family tree.

"That book tells of how King Enma himself took pity on my Demon ancestor, saving his life by disguising him as a human to help him get away from the shinobi assassins that were after his life. That ancestor fell in love with a human woman, and they started a family. It wasn't long though, before he grew restless and bored with the mundane day to day life of a human and longed instead for the life he once had. So he plotted to sell King Enma's secrets to the lords of demon world in exchange for a place amongst them.

When his wife found out that he had been using her and their children to gain leverage amongst the demon lords, she didn't know what to do. In came down to betraying King Enma and his subjects to live a life of power plagued with guilt or betraying the one she loved to live a life of honor, bittersweet and lonely though it may be.

She chose to stand by her husband, and the information they smuggled to demon world did great damage to the Ruler of Spirits. A great war followed causing millions of humans, demons, and spirits to lose their lives. For many years the demons had the upper hand. The human woman couldn't bear to live with herself as things were and she soon realized the she would waste away and die of guilt if she didn't take a stand for what was right.

In the end she became a double agent of sorts, feeding the Spiritual Defense Force with information that eventually led to King Enma's victory.

The day after her husband's execution, she stood trial for her own crimes. For her crimes against humanity and for her treason against the Great King she was given the death penalty.

For her outstanding service to the SDF at the risk of great personal loss she was given a medal of honor. With that medal, came an official pardon and she was granted amnesty in all of spirit world.

So impressed with her courage, determination, and intelligence was King Enma that he offered our matriarch one wish in exchange for a simple promise. If she would vow to him that she and all of her descendants would remain in his service, he would grant her whatever she desired.

One tear ran down her cheek as she gave him her answer. 'For betraying you My Lord, promising the eternal loyalty of my family is a just penance, and I would have freely given it had you not offered anything in return, but since you have offered, I will ask for my execution which is a just penance for the treason of my heart against the one I loved.'

Though this request disturbed King Enma, he granted her wish. And so she was hung the next day, the Medal of Honor still around her neck.

Their two children, half breeds as you would call them, choose to abide by their mother's last wish and honored her promise by swearing their lives to the King.

Hana now came back to herself and looked at Hiei, who had been captivated by her story.

"Such is the irony of my family, demon instincts and human bodies. That book you hold tells many of their stories, the heroic deeds of this ancestor or the other down through the ages, maybe the next chapter will be mine."

Hiei studied her face now, and couldn't help but be a bit surprised. Below the fragile exterior was the face of a warrior.

"The truth is," she continued, "I'd go even if I wasn't obligated by ancient family values. If there's a chance that I can protect the ones I love, then I have to try." She smiled at her brother who was now openly staring at the pair.

As Hiei regained his composure he looked over her pajama clad body again, raising one cocky eyebrow. "Do you intend on wearing shoes?"

* * *

Well there you have it folks she's going. Wahoo! As if there was any doubt. Don't forget to hit that little review button and tell me what you thought. The biggest question in my mind that maybe you can answer for me is – was the whole family history thing a bit too much? It turned out a bit more in depth than I intended. Hopefully it didn't detract from the real story.

Also, I need a good title for a cheesy hentai romance story that Shigure might write. Hana's got have something to do while she's on her trip.


	4. Abstract

Last Time on Dragon Wielder's Denpa "_The truth is," she continued, "I'd go even if I wasn't obligated by ancient family values. If there's a chance that I can protect the ones I love, then I have to try." _

**Abstract**

It was only 8:30 in the morning and she could already tell that it was going to be a long day. Pulling her deep heavy hood up over her head, Hana leaned back and closed her eyes. The rigid bar on the train seat didn't make the most ideal pillow, but she didn't really mind. The high school senior rode the train to school every morning and had grown accustomed to the awkward sleeping position.

Of course she wasn't on her way to school. The grumpy vibes she was getting off of her traveling companion were a constant reminder of that. They weren't helping her mood either. She was already feeling a bit depressed. Who really wants to wake their best friends up with a phone call saying, 'Good morning. I just wanted to let you know that I'm leaving to follow an arrogant stranger off to destination unknown. I don't know if I'll be back again. Goodbye.'

Tohru and Uo really had taken it better than she expected, and the fact that they trusted her to make these kinds of decisions reassured her some, though she doubted if she could really do any good.

After the daunting task of saying goodbye, Hana set herself to her next chore, packing. She loaded a few essentials into her messenger bag, a book, hairbrush, toothbrush, a snack for later and a few other must haves were all present. On Hiei's advice she packed lightly. Whether that advice came because they had a long journey ahead of them or simply because he was impatient she wasn't quite sure. Nonetheless she complied. And so, it was with much regret for several pairs of chunky black shoes left behind in her closet that Hana said goodbye to her room and headed downstairs.

When she reached the kitchen she found a pen and notepad and scrawled out a quick note for her parents who were away on business. It wasn't much, since there wasn't much that her mother didn't already know. With her mom's gift of foresight Hana probably didn't even need to leave a note, but somehow she felt the need to say something.

_Mom+Dad,_

_I've decided to join the spirit detectives in their fight. I'll do my best to uphold the reputation of our clan. I want to protect my friends. I want to protect my family. I want to prove myself. I love you. –Saki_

Satisfied that all the necessary points were covered, Hana moved to hang the message on the fridge, securing it under her favorite magnet, a lost looking cow with a rain cloud over its head. Then turning around, she tossed the notepad towards its home onto the counter next to the phone.

Hana inwardly cringed at the loud crash that followed. It was the notepad slamming into a glass bottle which in turn smashed against the phone which was about to hit the floor. 'Kuso!' She dived onto the counter in a vain attempt to minimize the damage, but only succeeded in knocking a few more jars onto the floor.

It didn't take long before Megumi who had been in the living room playing his new RPG, and Hiei who had been pretending not to be interested in said RPG popped in to see what all the commotion was about.

"Klutz," Megumi teased as he grinned madly at the heap on the floor that was his sister.

Zap!

Hana blushed slightly as Hiei kneeled next to her holding her gaze with a mysterious look. She felt the heat rise to her face as the demon reached his strong hand out toward hers.

Suddenly her vision was blurred by a flurry of white. An envelope was being dangled in front of her face. "You dropped something."

With a smirk, Hiei stood up letting the note with her name on it fall to her lap. "Klutz," he added as he turned towards the door, obviously ready to leave.

Hana put her annoyance on the back burner for a moment, instead choosing to focus on the note she now clutched in her hand. It had her first named written on the front in her mother's thick flowing letters.

With an unregistered gulp, she began to break the gold wax seal, but decided against it. Something told her that it wasn't the right time yet. A feeling in her gut that said her mom didn't intend for her to read this until some later time, an hour of need which had not yet arrived.

She resolved to save it for later and so slipped it into the messenger bag she wore across her body. Then, getting up as gracefully as possible, she smoothed the creases out of her dress and followed Hiei to the door. With a thin smile and hug, Megumi handed her cloak to her, saying goodbye without any words.

As they turned down the sidewalk though, he called out after them. "Oi, demon! You didn't tell me your name."

"Hn." Hiei continued walking, but called back over his shoulder. "It's Hiei. Curse it and I'll kill you."

* * *

_Clackety-clack whrrrrrrrrr clack clack whrrrrrrrrr. _

The low rumble of the train was soothing in a way, almost therapeutic. The seventeen year old girl in gothic clothing opened her eyes for a moment to stare into the dark abyss of her hood, wondering what she had gotten herself into. Once she had decided to join the spirit detective's team in the fight against Uzgoth, Hiei had insisted that they leave as soon as possible. She knew that's the way it would go, but she couldn't help but wish that she had had more time to say goodbye.

Hana sat up allowing her hood to fall to her shoulders. So much for sleeping, between her mind running a mile a minute and that fire demon grinding his teeth so loudly, she was having trouble relaxing. What was his problem anyway? She glanced around the morning train evaluating her surroundings, it was crowded, which didn't help her mood.

"Stop it. Don't touch me!"

"I'm not touching you"

"Yes you are."

"Are not."

"Are too."

_Whrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr clack whrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. _Deciding to try an old mediation technique to help calm her nerves, Hana closed her eyes and focused on the smooth rumbly sound of the train. Whrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr clack whrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. It was a nice sound and she tried to hear only it.

"Cough snarf hack hock." The old woman stooped in the seat behind them apparently had a phlegm problem.

_Whrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr clack whrrrrrrrrrrrrrr_, a pleasant sound.

"What'd you tell him?"

"I told him that if he liked her so much than he should take her to prom, because I sure as hell wasn't going with him after the stunt he just pulled."

"And then?"

"Then he was like, 'If I wanted to go to prom with her then I would have asked her, but I didn't. I asked you because I want to go with you.'"

"Then I pretended to cry, just to make him feel bad. He was practically on his knees begging." The bleached blonde pulled a cell phone from her backpack. "He even bought me this just to prove how much he loves me."

The pair of high school girls giggled, as they put their conversation on pause to check out the guy who just boarded. Waving flirtatiously.

_Whrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr clackety clack whrrrrrrrrrrrrrr._ Almost… relaxing.

"Mom, he's still touching me."

"Ryoki, leave your sister alone and hand me the diaper bag. The baby needs changed."

_Whrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr clack whrrrrrrrrrrrrrr._ Almost… therapeutic.

Slurp, chomp, chomp, slurp. How could a grown man not know how to eat ramen?

_Whrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr clackety clack whrrrrrrrrrrrrrr_. Almost.

"Hey you, yeah you old man, your in my seat!"

_Whrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr clack whrrrrrrrrrrrrrr_. Almost…pointless.

With defeated sigh she opened her eyes again and pulled her bag into her lap. Opening the flap, she dug around looking for the aspirin, though she had originally planned to save it for later. Something told her that there would be more than a few headaches in future, and her meager bottle wouldn't go far.

Finding the bottle and pulling her water out of its handy little mesh side pocket, she proceeded to swallow a handful, making sure to stare at the trendy little high school girls who were watching her.

As she placed the medicine back in her bag she came across a pack of gum.

'What now?' Hiei wondered as he noticed the denpa glance at him.

Seeming to make up her mind, Hana produced a stick of gum, wordlessly offering it to him.

He looked at her. "What's that?"

"It's chewing gum. You've been grinding your teeth for an hour now."

Pointedly glancing around at the train full of humans, he looked at her raising an eyebrow. "Do you have anything stronger?" Mock annoyance dripping from his voice.

'What am I doing?' He wondered to himself. 'Since when am I chummy with humans I've just met? Since when am I chummy with anyone?'

It was then that he caught the flicker of a smile play across her dark eyes. It reminded him of yesterday. That genuine smile she unknowingly produced when considering her friends. He had known at the time that it was a jewel, like his tears, precious and exceedingly rare. He had known that, and purposely destroyed it. Now, he longed to see it again.

He really had gone soft. Since when did he care about that sort of thing? He didn't. And even if he had, he didn't deserve to. What had he ever done to deserve a smile like that?

He changed his mind. 'Long' is a strong word and it didn't apply here, he decided.

She interrupted his mental reverie. "Was that a joke? Hmmm…I didn't know koorime were capable of humor." She teased him in her typical deadpan manner and tossed him a small plastic bottle.

But then again, he wouldn't mind either.

Popping off the lid, he turned it upside down and with a shake one pill dropped out. Flipping it upright he peered inside finding it empty.

"Apparently I'm not the only one who finds being surrounded by humans annoying."

"Do you hate them?" He questioned, looking pointedly towards the jerk that had kicked the old man out of his seat.

She glanced around seeing the little kids with their Mom, the old lady hunkered over behind them, the trendy high school girls, the jerk lounged in the back seat, and many others like them. Whiny, sickly, selfish, sloppy, belligerent – all aspects of the human condition. She herself had been all those things at one time or another, how could she hold it against them.

"No, I don't hate them. Do you?"

"No, I don't. Demons are the same way."

"Those two are a bit annoying though. They've been staring at me this whole time."

Hiei followed her gaze, and then smirked. "What makes you think they've been looking at you?"

Caught off guard, it dawned on her that they were actually looking at Hiei, not her. She was so used to turning heads that the idea that they could be looking at someone else hadn't even occurred to her, until just now. She looked at Hiei, crazy hair, odd clothes, disgruntled scowl and all.

"You do stand out."

"Yeah, the one with the painted face and short skirt handed me this."

She unfolded the scrap of paper. It was a… _cell phone number!_ Hana could barely believe it. That girl had some nerve. She wasn't sure what was most offensive about this. Was it the fact that they knew that the little flirt had guilt tripped her boyfriend into getting her that very same phone or was that this person had the gall to hit on a guy who was clearly taken? Well maybe taken was the wrong word, but still they were sitting together, and that girl didn't know any different.

Feeling the weight of Hiei's eyes studying her, she gave him the 'yes, can I help you with something' look.

"Jealous?"

"No." She answered and calmly averted her gaze, but knew that he sensed truth.

They rode like that in silence for a while, both looking forward. Hana making a conscious effort not to seem embarrassed, and Hiei secretly satisfied at making her squirm. When she felt that she had herself under control again she handed him the scrap of paper.

"What in the three worlds would I want this for?" He questioned.

"For all I know, she might be your type."

Hana felt a certain satisfaction when he incinerated the paper in reply, letting the ashes drift to the floor. She was a little relieved that he didn't just tuck it away into his robes, though she was reluctant to ask herself why. So instead she occupied herself with thoughts of the trip.

They had been on the train for three hours now and it had all but cleared out. Most of the morning passengers were going to work or school in the city and had already disembarked hours ago. In fact, they were the only passengers in their car as the train neared its final stop countless miles away from her home.

"It's time you told me where we're going. Surely one can't take the train to spirit world."

"We're not going to spirit world."

"But you do take your orders from Koenma right."

"It would be risky for the entire team to go there. The use of spirit energy that it would require might draw attention. If the enemy doesn't already know we're onto them, it could tip them off. We're going to a safe house here in the ningen-kai. There's a ferry girl assigned to our team. She'll deliver his orders."

A ferry girl. Hana had always wanted to meet one to see what they were like. She had always wondered what kind of personality it would take to deal with death day in and day out for centuries on end. She had the urge to ask Hiei about her, but decided that she had better get the more pertinent information out of him while he was still willing to answer her questions. Who knew when he would clam up again.

"What kind of safe house?"

"It's a temple on a hill in a haunted forest in the middle of nowhere. It was once an ancient battle ground so the area has an unusually unstable energy to it. It's the perfect place for powerful humans and demons to hang out and go unnoticed."

"Is it your home?" She asked and thought she sensed sadness to him when he heard the question.

"No."

"Does anybody live there?"

"It's the dwelling of a crusty old hag, with a penchant for video games." His voice sounded gruff, but she distinguished a certain, if not small amount, of affection when he spoke of her.

He continued, "She's a human psychic, very powerful and well known. The only ningen you'll ever meet who's participated in two dark tournaments."

"You're referring to Genkai." Hana concealed the excitement in her voice, but inwardly jumped at the idea of meeting a living legend. There were many psychics in the world with varying levels of and areas of expertise, but few were as respected as Genkai.

Hana had many more questions but was forced to save them as the train arrived at its final stop. As she got off the train the first thing she noticed was an overcast sky. Normally she loved the rain and relished cloudy skies, but today it just seemed gloomy. She had expected a car to be waiting for them but was disappointed to find Hiei walking, yes walking, down the isolated country road.

There were no buildings in sight and the wide flat lands turned into rolling hills in the distance. She assumed their destination was those hills in the distance. With a sigh she hung her bag across her shoulders and followed the demon.

He set a quick pace and Hana found herself just barely keeping up. She didn't argue though. She knew that he would be traveling twice as fast any other day and was only holding back for her sake.

As the miles passed by, she was glad that she and Tohru had taken up running a few years back. At the time she had grudgingly done it as a favor to Tohru who was afraid that she'd be attacked if she went alone. Physical exertion had never been her idea of fun. In fact three years ago she had gladly taken a 'D' in P.E. class in exchange for sitting out of the endurance run.

Somewhere along the way though, she had come to look forward to her runs. Two years now, and she was still at it. Even after Tohru had to call it quits as their lives grew busier, she still kept it up. It was her time. The time when she got to be alone and let her mind wander. Running made her feel good, and left her with a sense of accomplishment, and thankfully a bit of stamina to go with it.

Was he trying to hike her into the ground? She was beginning to wish that she had worn more practical shoes. Her feet were killing her. Not to mention the groove that her bag was cutting into her shoulder. Add that to the zero sleep factor and the going on twenty miles behind them and one might be able to understand why she was feeling a bit ragged despite her new found partiality toward athletics.

Hana's legs felt like they were made of lead. It was already late afternoon, nearing on dinner time. There were many roots and rocks traversing the shaded mountain path and Hana found that she had to really concentrate to keep her feet from stumbling.

Noticing that the human had fallen a couple of paces behind, Hiei slowed his pace a bit to let her catch up. He hadn't expected her to hold out this long. It was true that he had deliberately set a pace that he deemed would be challenging for the girl. One of the reasons was simply to test her. Hiei wanted to know what kind of shape she was in physically, and how far she could mentally push herself even though her body was telling her to stop. He was surprised that she had come this far. He had honestly expected to have to carry her most of the way there, but that wasn't going to be necessary. Though he could tell that she was definitely fatigued, he could also tell that she was too stubborn to give up now.

While one of his motives for setting such a difficult pace was to see what it _would take _to tire her, the other reason was simply to tire her. He still had many unanswered questions, and experience had shown that physical exhaustion went hand in hand with mental weariness.

As the skies grew darker with clouds he thought back to yesterday. After they had met in the woods, Hiei had noticed the invisible wall Hana instinctively put up when he asked her about the extent of her powers. He needed to get through that wall. So he fell back on an old interrogation technique. A tired person was more apt to answer freely than one who wasn't.

So after these many miles, Hiei again probed the enigma next to him for information.

"You still haven't told me…" Before he could finish his question, she stumbled on a hidden root and he caught her arm to steady her. Wrapping his hand around her bicep, he pulled her back towards him as she watched a pebble tumble down the steep hillside collecting more as it went.

Their faces were close now and she turned her gaze towards his as she wiggled a bit in an attempt to loose his grip.

He did relax it some, but not entirely as he used the leverage to his advantage. Making sure she didn't turn away in avoidance of his next question.

"…just what sort of psychic are you?"

Why was Hiei so interested in the extent of the denpa's powers? If he troubled himself to answer such a nosy question, he might tell you that he likes to know exactly what he has to work with, especially when there is a battle ahead.

In reality that would be a fair answer, but Hiei knew that that wasn't the only reason. There was something else, a genuine sort of curiosity about this person who seemed to him to be one enormous contradiction. Here was a seemingly _fragile_ girl who possessed an inner _strength_. She dressed herself in almost entirely _black_ yet remained _feminine_. She was a _loner_ who fiercely defended her _friends_. She was a _human_ with _demon_ instincts.

She was an odd one, and for that he was inwardly grateful. The normal ones just got on his nerves. Now, if he could just pry into that little head of hers they just might have a shot at being an effective team.

He firmed his expression as the loud thunder rolled around them, heralding the storm. He watched as the bright lightening bolt echoed across her tumultuous eyes, not entirely sure if it was her or the storm that had created it. As the first heavy raindrops fell on her face, she closed her eyes and pulled away from his grasp.

"Just what sort of psychic are you?" The question ricocheted through her brain.

Was she really ready to tell him? She felt vulnerable just thinking about it, like this near stranger was asking her to bare her soul. In a way he was. This thing that he wanted to know about was what made her who she was.

This outsider, what if he used it against her? What if he was disappointed? She wasn't sure if she could take anymore rejection.

Her back was turned to him now, so she couldn't see the way his head bowed toward the ground, or the way his fists clenched when she pulled away. "Tell me…please." The word seemed foreign to him and he briefly wondered when it had become a usable part of his vocabulary. He told himself it was simply a ploy to get what he was after and tried to forget the subtle waver his usually flat voice had taken on. He would worry about that later.

She breathed deep. This stranger, who really didn't seem strange at all, she felt like she could trust him. What if he_ wasn't_ disappointed? She wanted to trust him.

Now how exactly to explain this?

"I'll tell you, but it's not simple… to describe something so abstract." She clasped her arms around herself, and shivered as the rains saturated her outer clothing and dripped from her bound hair. "...to put into concrete terms something I've only recently come to understand myself."

"Hn." Hiei replied, returning to his casual stance. Accepting the fact that this might take some time he continued their trek up the muddy path towards the steadily approaching stairs, allowing her to form the words and ideas at her own pace.

As they reached the long broad stairway that marked the entrance to the temple, Hiei's keen ears noted Hana's rapid and shallow breathing, then the all too familiar dull thump of a limp body falling to the ground.

Turning quickly Hiei assessed the situation. She had finally collapsed from the exhaustion. "Hn, so that's her limit." He muttered.

He considered waking her up, but decided that if he were to ever get his answers, she would need to be in better shape. He knelt down and gently scooped the girl up. She actually weighed more that she looked; though to him she might as well have been a feather.

In a flash he had her up the stairs and into the temple.

* * *

a/n- Sorry for the long update. The next chapter is already in the works. Thanks for reading. Thanks for reviewing

Oh yeah, the cow magnet is supposed to represent Sohma Hatsuharu, and the rain cloud represents Hana. It's such a nice pair I had to include it somehow. Hana and Hiei make a nice pair too though, maybe even better. We'll see.


	5. Empathic

Key

_Emphasized_-single italic word

_More than one italic-_spoken via telepathy

**Empathic**

As Hana's thoughts came drifting back to her she noticed the sound of a crackling fire, and she felt warm even though she was lying on something cold and hard, most likely the ground.

'What's going on' she silently wondered as she quickly sat up, allowing the black cloak draped across her body to fall from her shoulders.

This turned out to be a big mistake she decided as she found herself to be more than a little dizzy. With blood rushing around in her head, she tried to focus her blurry vision onto her surroundings, but that only made the off kilter feeling worse. Clamping her eyes shut again she dropped back onto the reed mat, wincing as her skull came into contact with the firm surface.

"Slow down. Your body is still drained." Came a low voice from nearby, and as it pounded through her brain it hit a note of familiarity. Like a strobe of lightening triggered by the low rumble of Hiei's voice, the events of the last two days flooded her memory. Farewells that hurt more than she let on, nightmares, monsters, intriguing strangers, questioning red eyes, fatigue, a storm outside and in, darkness…and…warm arms.

Where was the rain? Why weren't they outside anymore? Had _he_ brought her here?

Hana tentatively opened her eyes experimentally trying to establish her whereabouts. She found herself gazing around a large room which had high ceilings and a hard wood floor.

She lay on a reed mat at one end of the chamber. The large fire burning in the hearth to her right cast a warm flickering glow which struggled against the shadow of the room. To her left sat a low Japanese style table. The walls had various weapons hung about them and there was an energy about the place, of the sort that she had never felt before. This _had_ to be Genkai's temple.

Hiei casually sat down on the ground near her feet facing the fire. His back leaning against the table and one knee bent up towards the ceiling.

But if this was Genkai's temple, where were the rest of the spirit detectives?

"It's empty." She noted sitting up again, slowly this time.

Her statement was answered with silence as the demon stared into the fire.

Though he was well within kicking range, he seemed distant to her, and she was reminded that she didn't really know this person at all.

Stray thoughts of doubt ran through her head, brief though they were. This demon, what if he had tricked her? What kinds of horrible things could he force her into?

She shook that thought from her head, deciding that she'd be able to sense malicious intent if he'd had any. He gave off a lot of powerful signals. Guilt, pride, anger, even a fragile sense of fulfillment were mixed together with many other things that she couldn't quite put her finger on, but malice wasn't one of them. She knew she could trust him, though she wasn't sure if he'd ever trust her.

This last thought troubled her a bit. It had taken years for her to come to terms with who she was, to like herself. She still wasn't entirely confident in her abilities. How could she expect someone else to believe in her, especially one whose power clearly overshadowed her own? The knowledge he wouldn't hurt her, didn't mean that he would bet his life on her.

Maybe they needed her help for something other than fighting. That would explain why they were alone, the other spirit detectives could have already started the mission. It had been presumptuous of her to assume that she would be on the front lines. She was, after all, inexperienced. And they, she studied Hiei's confident profile, weren't.

He must have sensed her misgivings because his low voice sounded over the thick silence of the room, "Right place, wrong time."

Somehow she was more confused than reassured. She questioned him with her eyes, though he never looked away from the fire.

"The meeting is tomorrow at noon."

As she considered his words, her doubts about his motives were methodically replaced with anger. He had nearly killed her in the rush to get here.

"The rest of the team won't be here until tomorrow?" She wanted to be sure she understood him.

He made eye contact with her in confirmation then promptly turned his gaze back to the fire, as if she weren't even good enough for words.

"So I didn't have to rush here at a breakneck pace in the rain on an empty stomach?" Her words were carefully schooled, but slowly building with a hint of annoyance. Her stomach growled as if on queue and she blushed slightly and looked away gathering her thoughts.

Her next words were softer yet somehow seemed more dangerous. "I could have spent more time saying goodbye to my friends and my family and my home."

Annoyed, she looked to the fire demon with an electric intensity; he seemed to be ignoring her. It was like talking to a wall.

"Look at me coward." The last word had just slipped out of her mouth and she regretted it slightly, but made no such sign because it did the trick. He did look at her. He met her eyes cockily with a spark of defiance in his crimson orbs. The words '_You asked for it' _emanatedfrom himthough he made no soundThen, with a smirk, he trailed his gaze down her body lingering on her plain lavender bra.

With a satisfied sneer, he looked away again as she realized that she was nearly naked. That would teach her. He was many things, but a coward was not one of them.

She snatched up the forgotten cloak to cover her bare shoulders, feeling a little silly as she realized her dress, stockings, and cloak all hung by the fire, still dripping wet, along with most of the contents of her bag. As she clung to the swathe of dark fabric around her shoulders, which she now registered as being _his_, she was secretly glad that she hadn't worn her usual black lace number, having decided at the time that it was just too scratchy for such long trip. Or maybe she wished she had, and then maybe that cocky little smirk would be an embarrassed blush. It might have been worth it. She couldn't decide.

At any rate the idea that he had undressed her, his warm fingers deftly gliding over her body removing her garments from her damp skin, or so she imagined, made her feel a bit uncomfortable. This wasn't something she was accustomed to. None of it was.

"The original rendezvous was at midnight. They pushed it back to noon after I left." He turned to look at her.

"They trust me to watch over them while they sleep. They'll put their very lives into my hands during battle, but ask them to believe for even a moment that I could retrieve one measly human without using force and they laugh their asses off."

Irony mingled with the irritation in his voice and Hana began to realize that maybe he felt a bit out of place as well. He'd probably never had to entertain a guest before; though she was sure he had no intention of entertaining anyone. Ever. She began to understand that 'people skills' weren't in his arsenal of tactics often used. Still, gentile conversation wasn't one of her strong points either. That 'measly' comment hadn't slipped by her, even in her weakened state.

And Hiei had hoped it hadn't. Earlier, she had passed out from exhaustion at just the wrong time on the way here. Their talk had just begun to get interesting, she was about to tell him about her capabilities. His curiosity urged him to finish that conversation. If she wasn't a telepath, then just when kind of psychic was this girl?

He looked at her and his brain hesitated as he involuntarily remembered the look of her bare shoulders and stomach, the soft feel of her pale skin. Woman, she was not girl. He would give her that, not that it mattered to him at all.

She shot him a challenging look, snapping his mind back to the topic at hand.

"I guess it is a lot to expect from a _mere_ fire demon. We humans can be a handful."

Hiei was secretly pleased with himself. She had taken the bait, now to set the hook.

"But you're not just any human, now are you?

After an extended moment he added without speaking. "_You're different_."

She had walked right into that one. She was growing tired of the way any and all conversations with this guy inevitably ended up here. Well, now was as good a time as any.

"I am."

He watched her patiently waiting for her to continue.

Purposely clasping her hands in her lap so as not to wring them, the denpa began.

"I'm sensitive to electricity. I can manipulate it. By gathering the electricity in the air I can assemble it into one place, creating something similar to lightening."

"_That doesn't explain how you can understand this."_

"I can hear you because you want me to. I told you before, I'm not telepathic. Empathic would be a better word."

"Trees, rocks, animals, everything carries an electric signal, and they're all a little different. A rock doesn't give the same kind of signal as dog. I feel these wave-like signals around me all the time."

"So what you're saying is that you can see in the dark, big deal. So can I. That's not why Koenma was so antsy to get you here." He pushed.

"People have these signals too, only more complex, and each person's is different like a fingerprint. I can tell a lot about a person just by the electrical waves they emit. My friend Uo's waves, for example, feel like the ocean. At times calm, cool, casual and laid back and at other times violent and unpredictable."

"The brain functions by sending electricity across the synapses, and so while the general feel of somebody never changes, on a smaller scale people's electrical signals are constantly changing. These small changes usually seem like an undecipherable jumble to me because of the low intensity and sheer number of them. So, I can't pick out exact thoughts, but more general changes, like mood swings are clear to me."

"The exception would be if somebody aims their thoughts directly to me, like they're speaking _to_ me. Those signals I can pick out. Like the ones you directed at me earlier."

Hiei quietly considered all that she said. She hadn't given herself enough credit. This young denpa, though weak compared to demons, was just about as close to telepathic as humans get and with the right kind of training she could reach a level that exceeded even most demons. But still he knew what sort of monster they were up against. If they took her out into battle as she was now she'd be eaten alive, literally. And that would do the team no good. Close wasn't good enough in this case. She would have to get stronger.

"Were you born with these abilities or did you learn them over time?" He was looking for a spark of hope. If she had improved as she grew than there weren't really any limits to what she could become, but if she had been able to manipulate electricity the day she was born, and nothing had changed since then, training would be an exercise in futility. This would all be pointless.

"It's in my blood. I was born a Hanajima…" He felt a little tense as she began to answer. Somewhere deep down, he didn't want to hear that this was all a waste of his time. Standing up he prepared to leave. Fresh air sounded good.

"…but it's not that simple. Raw power is nothing, if you lack the skill to use it." He leaned against the wall, gazing out the window as she spoke.

"A denpa must endure training if she is to be of any use to Sir Koenma."

He smirked at the thought of anybody other than Botan calling that little kid 'Sir', but he didn't interrupt.

"Though, over the last century or so, many potential denpas born to the clan have been slack and neglected their training. Koenma has had little need for us. This is the age of the spirit detective, after all. The last Hanajima to be summoned into service died one hundred and fifty years ago, and so many have turned away from the old ways.

There are some though that still remember our oath and bring their children up in the way of honor, but they are few and far between. Add that to the fact that denpa's who use waves, like me, are the rarest kind, and you begin to see why I've struggled with my training.

"You're self-taught." He stated, inwardly impressed that she had come this far without instruction.

She nodded with a hint of regret; probably he thought for that the lack of proper senseis in her clan.

"Not anymore. You should get some sleep." He spoke matter of factly as he made for the door.

"Tomorrow you're real training begins."

a/n – Sorry, for the long update. The good news is that I finally know where I'm going with this. Score!

Please note that I've never read the manga, Yu Yu or Furuba. They're both on my to do list I promise. I have, however, seen the anime many, many, many times they're my favorites. If Hana's powers contradict what you've read in the manga please work with me here. I've given this quite a bit of thought and don't think I'm stretching it too far.

Anywhoo, thanks so much for reading. Let me know what you think. Ja ne, mata.


	6. Midnight Meetings

a/n – I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or Fruits Basket

**Midnight Meetings**

"_You should get some sleep."_ Hiei's words echoed in her thoughts.

Sleep. Right. She had been laying there staring at the ceiling for an hour now, and still repose eluded her. So much had happened today. Her mind kept wheeling over it all. She should stop obsessing. She could if she wanted to. If there was one thing she was good at, it was meditating. Clearing her mind and calming her body, after years of practice she could at least do that much.

She didn't really want to though, because while she could carefully school her waking thoughts, her dreams were something entirely different. He said 'get some sleep' as if it would make her perform better. What he didn't realize was that even if she did manage to drift off she wouldn't wake up refreshed; it'd be more like drained. And pained. She ruefully rubbed the sore spot on her neck left from last night's attempt at slumber.

She new there was no avoiding it. Eventually the land of nightmares would claim her, sleep would come, despite her ill will, but she wasn't about to rush in and embrace it.

Sighing and feeling a bit restless Hana rose up from the floor. The soft velvety lining of Hiei's cloak caressed her skin as she moved to check her own garments which hung from the hearth. Still wet, that was the problem with heavy material. It keeps you warm and dry up to a point but at the same time you might as well be wearing a sponge.

Seeking a distraction, her attention idly drifted to her belongings. She had been lucky. Apparently the material of her messenger bag stood the test of the torrent a little better than her clothes. She slid her fingertips over the array of her personal effects fanned out on the hearth. Odds and ends of varying importance lay strewn before her. Charms and trinkets which reminded her of her clan, and a wallet with her high school ID displayed in the window were there. Her eyes softened a bit as the little wallflower, which was set atop a book, began its jig. Picking it up, she allowed it to rest on the palm of her hand as her other hand wandered to the paperback which had been sitting below it.

'Midnight Meetings, by Sohma Shigure.' Now here was a suitable distraction. Setting the wallflower back down she clutched the half finished book. Her friend Tohru's roommate/landlord, Shigure was quickly becoming one of the denpa's favorite authors. All he wrote were cheesy romance novels, but there was something about his writing style that drew her in.

His novels reflected many aspects of himself. There were the more obvious points that even Tohru could identify as trademark Shigure, the always playful perverseness and an almost melodramatic sense of humor, but also present were aspects that less in tune people may or may not have picked up on. Below the surface Hana found a sense of angst that was rare amongst novels of this genre, of which she had read many.

Shigure's novels always ended appropriately, but that didn't mean happily ever after. It was as if a happy ending were beyond his reach, a curious vibe that she got from all of the Sohmas, though the more time they spent near Tohru the weaker it became. Tohru had a way of bringing light into gloomy lives.

Leafing through the book as she sat at the low table Hana came across a photograph of her and her friends. The shot was taken on the school lawn during lunch hour and was off-center due to Yuki's possessive fan club pouncing on the photographer. She felt a tinge of pain in her chest as she remembered that sunny day. Life had been so much simpler then. Though she had chosen a blank stare for the camera, she was actually happy. She felt like she belonged there with Tohru smiling brightly, Uo grinning as she gave Kyo bunny ears and Yuki pretending not to see the hoard of girls stalking him. Her life with her friends had been peaceful in its own deliciously chaotic way.

And now, for the time being, it was gone. Setting the book and picture down Hana crossed her arms on the table and rested her head on them. So much had changed. It had taken so long to get to that point. To the point were she looked forward to life, to school, and to friends. She was here to protect that, to protect them, to guard her happiness, and to justify herself. To prove that she was the way she was for a reason.

She had always been the weird one, the feared one, and she would finally put it to good use, protecting the only ones that didn't make her feel that way. But still…she turned her head to the side studying the picture…_she missed that_. She missed that place and the feeling that came with it. Now her place was here, and she wondered if she would ever have that feeling again.

* * *

It had been three hours since he left her. The first thing he did was check in on his twin sister Yukina, which he did, as always, from the sanctity of the tree tops, using his jagan eye to search her out. It had always been a habit of his to look in on her each night while she slept, so she that wouldn't notice his concern.

Normally he would find her at Genkai's Temple, but tonight was an exception. She and Genkai had journeyed into town for supplies and he found them staying with Yukimura Keiko. He inwardly grumbled when he noticed that Botan was there as well. The loudmouthed ferry girl new his secret and, though he'd threatened her before, he wasn't entirely sure that he could trust her to keep it.

Even if he could tell Yukina that her long lost brother had been right under her nose for so many years, he wasn't entirely sure that he'd confess. The last thing the young ice apparition needed was a guy like him for a brother. Strange, how twins could be so different. Yukina was an optimist through and through. He was realist. She had been a blessing to those fortunate enough to meet her, especially himself, while he had been a curse to his people. She was sweet, nice, naïve and innocent. He was not.

He held his palms toward him, staring at them as he flashed from branch to branch en route to his next destination. How many had he killed in the name of revenge, or power, or more recently…justice? Ten or ten million, it didn't matter, she was better off not knowing.

Coming to a halt outside Keiko's window, Hiei put on his grumpiest aura knowing it would give the bubbly ferry girl chills. He smirked as she glanced out the window as if she'd seen a ghost. It was the simple things in life that gave him pleasure.

Botan excused herself and headed downstairs. 'What does mister party pooper grumpy pants want now?' she wondered as she ventured outside immediately wishing she had grabbed some sleeves as the breeze blew across her goose bumps.

'Oh no! I hope he wasn't listening to my thoughts just now.' The blue haired girl looked around. Taking a step backwards, she went rigid as her back came into contact with something solid and warm.

Plastering on her trademark super big smile, Botan turned to meet the visitor's gaze.

"Hiei, what are you doing here?"

"Are you enjoying yourself ferry girl? Doing a lot of talking perhaps?" He interrogated the suspect, reminding her of where she stood.

She bristled a bit, becoming a little defensive. Her smile tightened a little but she managed to keep it in place. "Yes, I was enjoying myself, thank you for asking. I do love talking…" Her eyes widened as she realized what he was getting at. 'So that's what this is about.'

She straightened her body performing her best military style salute. "…and don't worry sir, your secret is safe with me." Her voice softened a bit, and her eyes wavered with concern. "But seriously, you really should tell her, you know."

He hated that look. It was strange to him. He wasn't sure he'd ever be used to having 'friends', and he honestly never imagined that she would be one of them. Something told him that she wouldn't give this up though. He began to feel queasy as she continued.

"Yukina is a very understanding person; I think she'd be thrilled to know the truth. I mean, your past is no secret and she accepts you now. I seriously doubt that finding out your related would lower her…"

Hiei cut her off. I was time to stop this. "That's my decision to make, no one else's."

"But shouldn't she have a say?" She could tell she was pressing her luck on this one, but was determined to continue.

"No."

"I mean…"

"No. Shouldn't you be working right now?" The koorime glared at her, changing the subject.

"Huh?"

He rolled his eyes not bothering to hide his annoyance. "Back in Koenma's office when he was sticking me with this ridiculous mission I said, 'What about that blue-haired bimbo? The ningen seem to like her,' and Koenma replied, 'This is a very busy time of year in the spirit world; I'll need Botan's services here'. Effectively implying that you have work to do." He was clearly peeved.

She giggled nervously avoiding his eyes. "I'm uh…multi-tasking?" She met his eyes again, weighing the severity of his scowl. He wasn't buying it, time to shift the focus. "What about you? I don't see any badass denpa's around. Shouldn't _you_ be working?"

"No, unlike you, I've finished my duties." He was sick of this. It was time to leave, and noting Botan's speechless response, that's exactly what he did.

* * *

"How did it go?" Kurama looked up from his computer screen as Hiei entered his room through the window.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Did you find the denpa?"

"Hn"

"…and?"

"I told her to get some sleep."

"I see…" Kurama smiled knowingly. His comrade had probably _ordered_ the poor girl to go to sleep. "…and she listened?"

Hiei raised an eyebrow then lowered it as he closed his eyes. A glow akin to that of the computer screen shown out into the dark room from behind Hiei's white headband. It was soon gone and Hiei met Kurama's gaze.

"Women are a pain in the ass."

Kurama chuckled lightly, "Now that's not entirely true."

"You would say that." Hiei scoffed. "All those human women constantly swarming and swooning around you and you actually choose to go to school. It's disgusting."

"You're right. For the most part it is disgusting, and you know that's not why I enrolled for senior year. It's to keep my mother from worrying any more than necessary. You of all people should understand my desire to protect my family from the truth." Kurama said rising from his desk.

They exchanged solemn looks and Kurama sensed the need to lighten the subject. "At any rate don't knock it until you've tried it. When was the last time you made a girl swoon? Be honest now." He questioned.

Hiei only mumbled something nearly inaudible about disgusting pains and stabbing out his jagan if that day ever came.

Kurama sighed as walked he toward his window, same old Hiei. He glanced over his shoulder toward his reluctant friend, mirth playing in his emerald eyes. "You know, if you can find the right girl it's really not all that bad." He turned back to his flowers which were growing in a planter near the open windowpane.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable Hiei turned his gaze toward the computer. Kurama had been typing a report, but not for school.

"How'd the recognizance go?" Hiei asked skimming his eyes over the screen.

"Good and bad and there were a few things that I'm still analyzing."

"That was the straightest answer I've gotten all day." The fire demon looked up as the red head picked a large funnel shaped flower from the greenery and turned to face him.

"The good news is that Uzgoth is definitely holed up somewhere. Probably hibernating or at the very least recuperating. He's undeniably strong, but still, breaking out of King Enma's dungeon was a difficult task for him. He'll need some time to recover."

"The bad news?" Hiei leaned against the wall as waited the fox's reply.

"Somebody's nourishing him back to health. There are a lot of rumors going around about missing persons, mostly young people about Yusuke's age. I suspect these humans have become victims of Uzgoth's henchman, probably as a food source."

Hiei folded his arms across his chest in thought. "But why humans, and why high schoolers? If they wanted their master to regain his strength quickly, demons would provide more nourishment. And if for some _sick_ reason he did prefer humans, children would be easier to catch, and are rumored to taste better."

"It's true, I'm not quite sure yet, but I've come up with two theories. Either: (a) His minions are simply to weak to capture the stronger prey, like demons; or (b) it's an invitation. They're baiting us by selecting prey close to home. Three students have come from Yusuke's school and two from my own. They _want_ us to rush in." Kurama had crushed the flower and was putting it into a simple box as he spoke.

As he made his way toward the exit, Hiei thought of Yusuke and Kuwabara. They would never walk away from a fight. "Fools probably will too."

"Here." Kurama tossed the box over his shoulder. "If she's still awake, mix that powder with hot tea and it will help her get to sleep. I'm sure she's got a lot on her mind." Kurama returned to his desk and with a resigned tone added, "Just like the rest of us. You know, it works on demons too."

Hiei effortlessly caught the article as he jumped out the window throwing his parting statement over his shoulder. "I'll sleep when I'm dead."

* * *

a/n- special thanks to everyone who gave me input on romance titles, especially SugarSorceress09 who came up with 'midnight meetings'.

Reviews are always helpful. Thanks for reading


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